Overrun with chipmunks? This Spring found us with a startlingly huge increase in chipmunks as it has for many this year. We have had amazing success considerably lowering their population with these simple, humane and environmentally friendly tactics: Clean up all areas around the home and gardens, eliminating their hiding places; leaves, sticks, rocks, etc. and trim plants/bushes away from the home perimeter. We had an old brick barbecue that had become a chipmunk ‘hotel’ so that was also removed. Use Cayenne or similar retardant (pureed garlic &/or hot pepper spray, coffee grounds-ask a local coffee shop for their grounds, etc.) to sprinkle/spray the areas after clean-up. Liquid retardants generally last longer than dry. We have had success with Plantskydd (a blood meal product) available in granular and liquid. Plant flowers and herbs that are natural deterrents ; some examples are: Marigolds, Ageratum, Shasta, Yarrow, Black Eyed Susan, Phlox, Spider wort Sage, Oregano ,Ba
Welcome back to the EHI blog! If you are like most of us, Hopefully you have been staying at home and practicing good social distancing as we are supposed to! I am writing this blog to hopefully help some of you avoid making the same mistake I just made in my own home. As my wife has been off work and hasn't left the home in about three weeks, over the weekend I went to move her car as I was cleaning the garage, and sure enough...dead battery. As we all do our parts staying at home, the computers in our vehicles can slowly drain the battery down to the point where it will not start. The best defense against this is to simply start and run your car for 15-20 min at least once a week. A few things to make sure of before you do this... 1. If your car is parked in a garage, make sure you pull the car out of the garage first! The exhaust from vehicles can be deadly if it builds up in an enclosed space. 2. if you can't stay outside with your vehicle, use your second